FORT COLLINS — Colorado State men’s basketball coach Larry Eustachy said San Diego State’s Xavier Thames is the odds-on favorite for the top player in the Mountain West after the senior guard score 23 points Wednesday night in the Aztecs’ 71-61 win at CSU’s Moby Arena.

During a critical stretch in the second half, 10 straight Aztecs points were scored by the 6-foot-3 Thames.

He entered the game averaging 15.6 points and is the primary ballhandler for a starting lineup that includes four players 6-7 or taller. San Diego State (11-1, 1-0 Mountain West) is ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press poll.

With the Mountain West going to 11 members next season — retaining Boise State and San Diego State, and adding Utah State and San Jose State — the conference adopted an 18-game league schedule for basketball beginning in 2013-14 during meetings last week in Denver.

That means two more conference games than the 16-game schedule for the present, nine-team Mountain West. But it’s two games shy of a 20-game league schedule that also had been proposed.

Unlike for football, the conference will not be split into divisions for basketball. Under the 18-game format, each team will play two games (one home, one away) against eight conference members. The remaining two games will be played on a rotating basis among the two remaining teams, with a home game against a team one year, and on the road the next.

Reaction to the 18-game slate was mixed when MW coaches were asked for their comments during this week’s coaches teleconference.

The Mountain West Conference announced Monday that the player of the week is New Mexico senior forward Drew Gordon, who averaged 22 points and 18.5 points in victories over nationally ranked San Diego State and UNLV last week.

San Diego State coach Steve Fisher said later Monday morning that another player is equally deserving: Air Force junior guard Michael Lyons. Helping Air Force snap a seven-game losing streak, Lyons scored 24 points in the win at Wyoming and tallied 27 Saturday in the home victory over then No. 13 San Diego State.

“Before I get started (on the teleconference), I’m going to self-proclaim a co-MVP of the week, Michael Lyons,” Fisher said. “Drew Gordon was phenomenal against us and UNLV.

“But if you look at what Michael Lyons did against us and San Diego State, with their two wins — I’m going to send him a certificate, I don’t think that’s a (NCAA) violation. He’ll be the San Diego co-player of the week.”

With the Mountain West Conference race having reached the midway point, the league’s teams get a bye before resuming conference play on Saturday.

Speaking Monday on the MWC teleconference, the coaches said they are impressed with the overall strength of the league.

“I think the depth of the league is really impressive,” Colorado State coach Tim Miles said. “There are no easy games wherever you go. The bottom teams that have been there in the past have elevated their play. The top teams are just as good, too.”

San Diego State coach Steve Fisher pointed out that although Boise State is winless in league play thus far, the Broncos have taken a lot of games to the wire.

“I’m sure (the Broncos) think they should be 3-4 or 4-3,” Fisher said. “The league is very good. There are coaches that know what they’re doing. There are very good players in every program.”

Colorado State resumes Saturday at TCU.

“It’s going to be quite a grind and it’s going to happen in a hurry,” CSU’s Miles said of the stretch run.

A look around the Mountain West:San Diego State _ http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/sep/14/sdsu-football-becoming-hotter-ticket/
football attendance at what was a basketball school in Albuquerque. He’s doing it again in San Diego, where there are far more alternatives for the recreational dollar, including a basketball powerhouse.

Since Long took over for Michigan-bound Brady Hoke, the Aztecs season-ticket base has improved 27 percent to 12,380.

Obviously, San Diego State has the drawing cards this year in senior quarterback Ryan Lindley and sophomore running back Ronnie Hillman.

Basketball iconb Steve Fisher proved people will flock to a winner in basketball and Long is trying to build a similar base.

Incidentally, the 2-0 Aztecs are looking to break a 19-game losing streak against Pac-10 teams when Washington State visits Qualcomm Stadium Saturday.

Boise State _ Speaking of season tickets, http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/sep/14/sdsu-football-becoming-hotter-ticket/
for sale. TCU, Air Force and old WAC rival Nevada are slellouts with only a handful of tickets for Tulsa and Wyoming.

New Mexico _ As if the http://www.golobos.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/091311aac.html

didn’t face enough woes against Texas Tech, the Red Raiders defensive coordinator Chad Glasgow knows Nedw Mexico inside out from 10 years on the 10 staff at TCU. Look for an abundance of 4-2-5 defenses on the field.

UNLV _ After Hawaii and UNLV lost by a combined 99-39 in the state of Washington last week, Hawaii visits Sin City for the Rebels home opener. Outscored 110-24 this season, UNLV is struggling even more than expected.

TCU _ The Horned Frogs are http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/09/13/3365508/tcu-finding-early-power-in-reserve.html
where other teams would be severely challenged to replace the likes of injured linebacker Tanner Brock or injured running back Ed Wesley. Walk-on defensive end Jon Koontz made a big play at Air Forceand another end, Ross Forrest have overcome two seasons of injuries.

Wyoming: The Cowboys get one of the http://trib.com/college/wyoming/article_f564bbe0-cfeb-541e-841a-318878b42445.html
of the year with a 10 a.m. MDT start at Bowling Green Saturday. The team had 6 a.m. practices late in the week to get acclimatized.

The first press release written in this state on Nuggets first round draft pick Kenneth Faried, came from the desk of Colorado State sports information assistant Danny Mattie and was dated March 15, 2010.

CSU traveled to Morehead State for the first round of the CBI. Mattie wrote:

“MSU is led by junior Kenneth Faried, a 6-8 center from Newark, N.J. Faried, the OVC player of the year and defensive player of the year, averages 16.6 points and 13 rebounds for the Eagles. Nationally, Faried ranks second in both rebounding and double-doubles …”

From a cursory glance of film, Tim Miles said before the trip that Faried reminded him of San Diego State’s rebounding tandem of Kawhi Leonard (drafted) and Malcolm Thomas (not drafted).

Faried led Morehead State to a 74-60 win over the Rams in the CBI with 23 points, 15 boards, a block and three steals in 31 minutes.

More draft notes: It was nice to see both Mountain West coaches Dave Rose of BYU and Steve Fisher at San Diego State at the respective tables of their first round picks Jimmer Fredette and Leonard. Fisher had plenty of first round picks at Michigan. He couldn’t have looked any happier to see Leonard called.

It was the second time the MWC posted two first round picks. Utah’s Andrew Bogut at No. 1 and New Mexico’s Danny Granger at No. 17 highlighted the 2005 draft for the MWC.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – In no surprise, perspectives differed between San Diego State and Connecticut regarding the impact of the Aztecs playing 100 miles up the road from campus and UConn having to travel across the country, three times away.

“I think it will help us a lot,” SDSU senior forward Malcolm Thomas said this afternoon during West Regional interviews. “We play well at home and we’re going to have a lot of fans here so it can feel like a home game.”

Aztecs coach Steve Fisher said “it was nice to be able to bus up here 1 1/2 hours instead of jumping on a plane.

“We had great crowds at home this year, selling out every one of our home games with 12,414,” he added, rattling of the capacity of the home arena. “I would hope that our fans would come up here like it’s just 1 ½ hours away.”

Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said it’s been his experience in the NCAA Tournament that home fans don’t necessarily hurt any team, but that they can certainly help the team with the most fans.

SDSU coach Steve Fisher added that his team is 0-2 here at the Honda Classic, twice losing to St. Mary’s in the Wooden Classic.

The regular season ending trip to San Diego State always figured to be one of the two toughest road assignments for Colorado State this season.

The first was BYU with the sold out Marriott Cent
er crowd in excess of 22,000.

Despite the loss to BYU that likely cost the regular season Mountain West title, Aztecs coach Steve Fisher said every seat in the house is already spoken for when CSU shows up Saturday. Compound that with senior night for five players including Aztecs mainstays Billy White, D.J. Gay, and Malcolm Thomas.

Unsaid is whether this will be sophomore Kawhi Leonard’s final game at Montezuma Mesa. Most expect him to enter the NBA draft this spring.

Fisher said on Monday’s MWC conference call “Kawhi will be honored by being in the starting lineup.”

The rest of the nation will finally get a look at No. 7 BYU and No. 6 San Diego State with their combined 33-3 records. In the first ever Mountain West game on CBS, the network is sending its big guns _ lead college basketball analyst Clark Kellogg along with veterans Vern Lundquist and Steve Kerr.

The Saturday tip-off is noon MT, which doesn’t give San Diego State much time to work themselves into a frenzy.

Depending on upsets from now through the conference tournaments, a No. 1 seed could be hanging in the balance for the winner.

Tickets were gone long ago. It might be the toughest ticket in the city since the Padres played in the World Series.

“We’ve been a hard ticket to get all season long and now it’s impossible. There are no tickets,” said Aztecs coach Steve Fisher on this week’s MWC teleconference. He has discovered many “long-lost” relatives seeking seats during San Diego State’s run this season. He calls it “a good problem to have.”

This game, incidentally, was picked up by CBS before the season.

And if anyone wonders how CBS received rights to the showdown of Top 10 teams, it’s simple. The MWC originally had a TV agreement with CSTV, since rebranded CBS College Sports. Then the pact was split in half with Comcast.

The Mountain West Conference removed San Diego State coach Steve Fisher’s first amendment rights Monday.

He didn’t attack the referees, verbally or otherwise, he didn’t disparage an opposing coach, player or group of fans to provoke a sportsmanship reprimand.

Instead, Fisher ripped Wyoming’s administration for firing Heath Schroyer in midseason. As the dean of MWC coaches Fisher is a media favorite for both insight and speaking his mind on issues. As coach of the sixth ranked team in the country, he is one of the MWC’s greatest assets.

You know it’s a new year when it’s the first Mountain West men’s basketball teleconference call of the season and most of the coaches are still in good mood. After all, everyone is unbeaten _ in conference play at least.

Just as football was a very special year for the MWC, basketball is starting the same way. San Diego State is 15-0, the first team to go into league play undefeated. Unlike TCU’s Rose Bowl champs, the Aztecs have no plans to bolt the MWC.

Some of the coaches were in midseason form with their one-liners.

San Diego State’s Steve Fisher on scheduling difficulty for a veteran team this year: “We’ll lose five guys plus possibly a sixth (if Kawhi Leonard goes out early) and we may have everyone in America wanting to play us next year.”

TCU coach Jim Christian on carryover from football success: “We have to provide enthusiasm. People aren’t going to be coming to basketball games because our football team won the Rose Bowl.”

BYU coach Dave Rose on Jimmer Fredette’s reputation preceding him in the MWC: “The last 15 teams have known he’s the guy to defend.”

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.